Monthly Archives

February 2020

Does IL workers’ comp law trump biometrics class actions over fingerprint scans? Appeals court poised to answer

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

As a growing number of plaintiffs’ lawyers use an Illinois biometrics privacy law to target Illinois employers with potentially crippling class actions, a state appellate court will soon weigh in on whether the state’s workers’ compensation law can be used to punch out the widening field of lawsuits. A decision on the question could have potentially huge ramifications for the…

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Tenant sues property owners after allegedly falling from deck

By Personal Injury No Comments

The collapse of a wooden deck has prompted a lawsuit against the owners of the rental property. Christopher A. Jones, who rented the property on Miller Street in Alton, filed suit against the Dustin Snyders Trust, the trustees and the manager of the house as well as a family member. Jones accuses the defendants of negligence and breach of contract…

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Lawmakers consider comp for first responders with PTSD

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Lawmakers in Illinois are considering workers compensation legislation that would provide workers compensation to first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. H.B. 5569 was sent to the rules committee on Tuesday and would amend the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act and the Workers’ Occupational Diseases Act and apply to firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Lawmakers on Tuesday also introduced H.B….

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Agency reports 2020 comp legislative trends similar to 2019

By Workers' Compensation No Comments

Tracking more than 500 pieces of comp-related legislation so far in 2020, the National Council for Compensation Insurance on Wednesday reported that this year’s “legislative trends and hot topics look very similar to 2019,” with workers compensation for first responders, medical marijuana and independent contractors remaining key issues. Bills affecting workers compensation for first responders are making headway among lawmakers,…

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Reversal: COA reinstates woman’s bad-faith suit against Allstate

By Personal Injury No Comments

A woman’s bad-faith claim against her friend’s insurance company has been reinstated by the Indiana Court of Appeals, which determined that the trial court erred in concluding that an insurer does not owe a duty of good faith and fair dealing to an insured who is not the policyholder. After being involved in a car accident in which she was…

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Divided COA reinstates complaint against IMPD employee

By Personal Injury No Comments

A divided Indiana Court of Appeals has permitted a man to prosecute his complaint against an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department employee who crashed into his vehicle. The appellate majority concluded the extreme remedy of dismissal for failure to prosecute was not warranted in the case. While driving onto Interstate 65 in 2016, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department employee Brandon Cooper collided…

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Police: Motorcyclist severely injured after wreck in Highland

By Personal Injury No Comments

A collision between a motorcycle and truck in Highland left a motorcyclist lying in the intersection of Kennedy Avenue and Duluth Street with severe injuries Thursday night, police said. At 6:34 p.m. Highland police, Highland firefighters and EMS responded to the intersection, according to the Highland Police Department. When they arrived, officers saw the driver of the BMW motorcycle in…

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Driver of emergency patrol vehicle sues over rear-end collision

By Personal Injury No Comments

The driver of an emergency patrol vehicle is suing two drivers for allegedly causing a multi-vehicle collision on I-55. Robert Francis filed the complaint on Jan. 23 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Willie J. Tumbs and Aimee Ray Dearsley. According to the complaint, Francis claims that on April 20, 2019 he was operating a State of Illinois Emergency…

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